


Within

by BlackSheep115



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, VBO Mini Bang 2019, Vegebul, Vegebulocracy Mini Bang, no romantic - it would fuck the story up, some might see filthy dirty fucking in the lab, the reason why I wasn't able to continue my fic, vegebulocracy, welcome to my pain in the ass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 16:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18781711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackSheep115/pseuds/BlackSheep115
Summary: Vegeta’s regular nightmares drive him to train excessively, leading to him getting hurt in a dangerous Gravity Room accident. After Bulma treats his wounds he notices that she had begun to ask too many questions, leading him to suspect that the woman had dishonorable motives.His suspicions are strengthened when he overhears a dubious conversation between the blue-haired woman and her father. Painful childhood memories resurface, making the bad situation even worse. The two strong-headed people clash violently before Vegeta accidentally discovers what it was that Bulma had found out. And what he discovered there shakes his world to the core.





	Within

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> This is my story for the Vegebul Mini Bang, hosted by Vegebulocracy. 
> 
> Special thanks to Bitchytimemachine and ScarletRaven1001. When I was stuck and about to drop this story, they helped me to get this story right and supported me from he first to the last word with suggestions, corrections and betaing. 
> 
> Also a big thank you to Sharageta_san for the language check <3
> 
> I got some wonderful fan art by ScarletRaven1001, Katschusay and Rucifie. I love every piece. <3 (will post later)
> 
> Last but not least, I want to thank my parents... haha, no, just kidding. This is a note, not the MTV music award. xD 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it :)
> 
> cover by Katschusa <3  
> https://katschusa.tumblr.com/  
> 

**Eat, train, sleep, repeat.**

It was all he had done for over a year. Day in and day out. No breaks, no distractions, only strict daily routine. This day was no exception, so he found himself in the gravity room.  

His arms were shaking and his legs were threatening to give out underneath him as the artificially heightened gravity of the chamber pulled him down mercilessly. However, he wasn’t impressed by it. In fact, he was used to pain, he dwelled in pain. It was pure and true, there was no lie in pain, no betrayal.

_Salmon ladder. Steps skipping._

_Four more._

He trained all his life. From the very first moment he was able to walk, his father pushed him into training.  

And he was good.  

He was the best. No Saiyan child of his age had ever reached his level and even in adolescence, he was already better than Nappa and Raditz together. He would have been a well-respected warrior and king who would go down in Saiyan history, if the planet still existed.  

Oh, what a good life he could have had. The life with the human woman was a little glimpse of the life of luxury he could have had. If only Freezer wouldn’t have been...  

Could it be that the magical dragon is powerful enough to restore Vegetasai? His people, his home?  

He huffed as his thoughts went back to the pampered life the human woman had. Visiting other planets because it’s _exciting_. How naive she was. She had no idea what was waiting out there, _who_ was waiting out there. Waiting to rape, kill and torture weak creatures like her. Visiting planets for excitement. Ha! He was _skinning_ people for excitement. _He_ was out there. Waiting for them. Coming for them.

_One-handed handstand. Sweat dripping._

_Three more._

Now… they will come. The androids. They will come for Kakarot, and Vegeta will come for the androids.  

It was his chance. His chance at revenge, at satisfaction, and he won’t let the androids take it from him. Their first fight back then in the desert didn’t end as it should have . Even though it took four people to defeat him, Vegeta still should have been victorious. In the end, he laid exhausted and dirty under a naked, unconscious child. Gosh, hopefully no one will ever tell this story out of context… It’s just embarrassing.

That fight was different in another way as well. He couldn’t quite point his finger on it, but for some reason, he was obsessed with it from the beginning. He even _waited_ for it. He thought very hard about it, trying to remember what it was. Was it because his friends –  

Pah! Friends… What a disgusting word and idea…  

Anyway, could it be because Kakarot’s… _friends…_ mentioned his strength, and he was excited for the fight? Maybe because he would get to see another Saiyan beside Nappa and Raditz?

 _Push-ups_ _. Hands slipping._

_Two more._

When Goku finally arrived, he almost lost it. His blood boiled and all he could think about was fighting Goku. Unfortunately, Vegeta was too arrogant to value Goku’s strength and fooled around with him like a predator with its prey. Who would have known that this playing with his prey would eventually lead to his doom?  

But if that shame wasn’t enough, Goku managed the step to the Legendary and was presenting it to everyone like it was nothing special at all. He was not even appreciating it. He reached the most honorable thing in the Saiyan culture and he was not even appropriating it. What a waste of power and glory! Vegeta knew the Legendary was real and was convinced he would be the one to reach it.  

 _Hanging_ _sit-ups_ _. Muscles ripping._

_One more._

Instead, he was training his hot ass off, trying so damn hard to not be left behind, to keep up, to surpass Goku, surpass the androids, to get what he was longing for.  

And here he was. Shaking with exhaustion, panting and sweating; groaning as he struggled to keep himself up and not be crushed by the gravity. Not legendary at all.  

With his last bit of energy, he eventually reached the console and turned the gravity chamber off. The red light turned yellow, the humming stopped and the weight from his body released, leaving him feeling feather light.  

Maybe he would be at least successful in going to the kitchen and finding something to eat, then going straight to bed.  

That’s his day. Everyday. For over a year now.  

Eat, train, sleep.

Repeat.  

 

**Fuck material  
**

Yamcha said the words with a self-satisfied grin.  

Allowing himself a little break from his intense morning training, Vegeta sat on top of the gravity room and observed the scene through the open kitchen window.

„Fuck material?“ Bulma repeated. Her raised eyebrows gave away her confusion over those unusual words. „What the hell are you talking about?“

„I mean, just look at me.“ He wiggled his shoulders, let his hands glide down his body and gave her a seductive look as he winked at her.  

Bulma couldn’t hide the disgust from her face as she stared, mouth open in disgruntled shock.  

Vegeta was sure, that considering earth standards and depending on the numbers of women who are after Yamcha, he might be considered attractive but…Fuck material...? What kind of expression was that anyway? He would never call anyone something so rude and disrespectful. He couldn’t even say if there was a comparable word in his own native language. However, he could tell by the woman’s reaction, that she had many words for Yamcha, but “fuck material” was not one of them.  

„Oh Yamcha, you’re the hottest boy around.” Bulma said as she walked over to him and with a loving smile on her lips, she cupped his face gently with one palm.  

_Humpf._ _Maybe I was wrong._ Vegeta thought and scowled.  

“But I’m looking for a man.“ Bulma continued unexpectedly.  

_Ha! Maybe not. Perfect answer!_ A wide grin replace the frown on Vegeta’s face. _This woman never fails to roast this weakling._

Yamcha’s jaw dropped. Obviously, it was not what he was expecting. Sure, he was somewhat joking but still, this was a punch in the stomach. Merciless.  

Vegeta saw many pictures of the two of them in the house and in all of them Bulma was hugging him and smiling widely. When had Bulma stopped looking at Yamcha like she used to? When had their relationship started to fall apart? Was she finally sick of the empty promises and stagnancy from this guy? About fucking time. Lately she had started to look at him differently. She wouldn't smile as much, wouldn't hug him that much. Instead, she was putting more and more distance between them, wiggling herself out of his arms and instead seeking more and more of Vegeta’s company. She would smile at him and her eyes would brighten up, just as they used to do when they would spot Yamcha. How strange. Vegeta understood what it meant but not why she would feel that way. Why she would enjoy his company and babble about everything. She would leave out the relationship with the human.  

But what she wouldn’t stop talking about was Namek, how exciting and life changing it was. “A real adventure.” She went there to find the dragonballs, but what she found instead was some new nerves she could fucking get on. Why couldn't she keep talking to this “fuck material” about her ridiculous shit?  

Fuck material. Ha! He was the last material she would consider to fuck, Vegeta was sure of that.

Before Bulma and Yamcha could continue this ridiculous conversation, Vegeta came down from the GR and went through a little hallway into the kitchen. He was fed up but still hungry.  

Bulma looked over to him and her eyes definitely said “Thank god, a distraction.” Damn, he hadn't meant to do her a favor, but he needed and wanted breakfast. Considering the way her look changed and how she looked him over, even licked her lips, he was not the only one who was hungry. The Saiyan suppressed a smirk, knowing very well she thought he looked delicious in only his pants and all the sweat dripping down his bare chest. For reasons unknown to him, humans consider such mundane things as bare skin and sweat arousing.  He enjoyed her gazes nonetheless. Actually, he even liked to be considered attractive but what he didn’t like was her talking to him and unfortunately that’s just what she was about to do.  

„Vegeta, you were already training today? For how long?“ It was not unusual for him to train before breakfast so why was she concerned?  

„None of your business.“ when will she learn that?

„It is my business, for fucks sake, Vegeta!“ She hissed, „I told you there are issues with the cooling and if you use the GR for too long without a break, the engine will overheat. That might cause a fire or an explosion. Why didn’t you waited for me to fix it, as we agreed yesterday?“

„I didn’t agree to anything.“ He replied roughly.

Bulma pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. „Just be careful. Touch the control panel and don’t use the GR as long as it is too warm.“

“When will breakfast be ready?” He went over to the fridge to get himself a bottle of water.

“I… Are you even listening?” Bulma threw her arms in the air to emphasis her aggravation, but Vegeta didn’t pay attention to her annoyance at all.  

“No. When will breakfast be ready?”

“30 minutes.” She sighed defeated.  

On his way out, he heard Yamcha say: “I see, he is the same gentleman as always.” Through a mirror in the hallway, he could see how the weakling poked his elbow in Bulma’s side.  

“Hmmm” Bulma muttered quietly “I don’t know. He seems absent minded today.”

“You think so?” her friend asked confused before he continued with a shrug “I can’t see any difference. Anyway. I’m off to train as well. See you later, Bulma.” Vegeta peeked into the kitchen window from the corner of his eyes and saw Yamcha kissing Bulma’s cheek lovingly as she continued to watch Vegeta walk through the yard.  

Shortly after Yamcha left the kitchen, her mother entered the room to prepare breakfast. Mother and daughter greeted each other and chatted carefree for about 15 min. Then Punchy stopped blathering abruptly, which caught Bulma’s attention.  

“Mom?” she asked puzzled.  

No response.

“Mom?” she called more firmly. When her mother still didn't react, Bulma walked over to her mother. Standing next to her, she followed the older woman's gaze out the kitchen window.

And just like her mother, Bulma stood there and watched, hypnotized, with her lips parted, as Vegeta trained on the lawn.  

Vegeta was very aware that they were observing him, staring at him, drooling over him and he enjoyed it.  

Sweat running down over every tensed muscle, emphasizing every structure and dip of them.  

Wet skin glistening in the sun with every drop running down his perfect abs.  Fabric stretching over hard thighs and butt cheeks with every _deep_ squat.  

The joy of the sight peaked as he opened his bottle of water, then tilted his head back and started to - agonizing slowly - pour the liquid on his forehead. His other hand rubbed softly, even caressingly, seductively over his neck and shoulder, down his chest until he reached the side of his waist. But his hand won’t rest there. He won’t give the women a rest. Vegeta’s hand slid over his lover stomach, his gaze following his movements, as he took his time to run his fingertips over the smooth skin above the firm muscles until them finally stop on his loins.  

Bulma and her mother tilted their heads following his movements. And in that moment, when both were biting their lips and hoping the show would go on, Vegeta looked up to Bulma, locked eyes with her and grinned cockily.

Her heart skipped a beat and only two words came over her dry and flushed lips: Fuck material.

 

**Boom!  
**

Vegeta shot up in bed. His skin was dripping wet from his sweat, his senses unfocused, muscles all tensed. He tried to concentrate, to listen into the dark and figure out what woke him up but his nightmare still held him tightly in its grip.  

This dream haunted him several nights already. It’s always the same.  

Exactly. The. Same.  

But it was no less bothersome. Instead, he found it harder and harder with every time it took Vegeta’s rest away. This night wasn’t any different.  

Now he sat there, in the dark, sweating, his hands fisting tightly in the sheets. By the time he was able to calm down, he was able to sharpen his senses to figure out what would have woken him. A little rustle from outside caught his attention and with one smooth motion he slipped out of bed and went over to the open balcony door.  

The blue haired woman sat in front of the GR and collected her tools back into her box. Obviously, she dropped it and that must have been the noise he heard. Vegeta observed her a moment longer, how she picked up the tools and dropped them carefully, to avoid much noises, into her box, until she got up and disappeared in the house eventually. Somehow, it was calming to watching her. Maybe… because it meant there was no threat? That he was safe in the moment his body won’t let him wake up even he wanted to so badly?

Vegeta turned around to look at the clock. 2.53 am. She worked late, as always. Bulma told him the GR needed to be fixed and that is what she did. He could rely on her and he even appreciated it, but would never tell her.  

He stood there a little longer before he decided that it’s no use to hope for a little more sleep and rest, so he put on his training clothes, stepped on the balcony and flew down to the GR.

With the press of a button, the door of the spaceship slid open, the lights turned on automatically and the sweet scent of a female invaded his nostrils. Everything looked ready – put together and cleaned. There was a new element on the control panel, he went over to examine it. Bare fingers caressed the surface of the new buttons before one was pressed down gently, causing the light to turn red and the gravity to raise.  

The training equipment was still in place, nothing changed there, but tonight he won’t go through his usual routine to warm up but go straight to his high intensity training for speed and reflexes. He figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to train in a way that requires him to be utterly concentrated but to be honest, he needed the one or the other blast right now. He needed the pain and the physical exhaustion to free himself from the aftermath of his nightmare.  

Too many energy balls flew through the room and Vegeta was unable to dodge or parry all of them.  Also, just as he had wanted, his own weapons had hit him several times.  His blood, that had dripped on the floor and stained it red, wouldn’t keep him from sending even more energy balls on their way.

Unfortunately, Vegeta was so lost in his desperate rage, that he didn’t pay attention to any alarms. Not to his own body nor to the one of the GR. He missed the alert that told him the engine was overheating until it was too late.  

BOOM!  

 

**Muffled sounds.  
**

It was all he heard at first.  

Then came the pain.  

Everything. Everything hurt and a hoarse groan tried to find its way through his throat but would never make it.  

He forced his eyes open but they wouldn't follow his command. Only one would crack open to a slit, not enough to let him see sharp but enough to allow him to see bright and dark shades.  

The muffled sounds became louder but not clearer. A shadow formed in front of Vegeta eyes, telling him someone is standing above him. Probably talking to him, he doesn’t know. The shadow leaned over him until he felt a burning pain pierced through his right shoulders. Then numbness. Then he felt himself losing consciousness. He fought against it but his body wouldn't listen again.  

The next time he woke up, he couldn't say a word, couldn't open his eyes or speak. He was just silently listening. It was hard though because the medication, which was forced on him, numbed his senses and he could only hear little parts. He could tell a man and a woman were talking quietly, almost whispering. And he could tell they were nervous, almost anxious.  

"... secret," he heard a woman’s voice. "No one…”  

A male’s voice replied, "...must tell… "

"No!"

After a second of silence, they continued with softer voices, the words garbled and rushed.

"... Keep it secret!"

"... The injections..."

Vegeta fell back to sleep.  

Slowly he came back into consciousness. The room was silent, the pain unfortunately not.

Vegeta managed to open an eye enough to see he was in a room with medical equipment. Beside the room was very glum and sterile. A sink, a table, some cabinets and some strange dark blue, opaque, thin sheets with white and gray spots on it in front of an illuminated cupboard. It seemed to show parts of a skeleton. Maybe a hand, a torso and broken arm? He had seen pictures of the humans all around the house. They seem to use it as some weird kind of decoration. How useless. But those… the bones… he had never seen before around the house and it surprised him.  

_Humans consider these symbols of death to be decoration. How unusually Saiyan of them_. He thought.  

He tried to get up but the pain was overwhelming, pinning him down to the mattress. He started to notice the beep of a heart rate monitor. It went agonizing slow. His left arm was tied to the bed, but the right one was free. Why was that? Maybe because of the IV line? When he wanted to reach over to the remove the trammel, the pain in his right shoulder again reminded him not to move.  

He looked over to his shoulder to see what’s wrong with it. The bandage, that covered not only his shoulder but also his chest and upper arm, was stained in shades of red and brown. That looked bad.  

As he looked at the stains, something else in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Next to his bed stood a little bowl with metal parts. Springs, wires, screws, plates.  

Vegeta threw his head to the other side, shutting his eyes forcefully, the beep of the heart rate monitor picked up rapidly and Vegeta tried to fight this sudden panic attack.  

_Those are only parts from the GR. Those are only parts from the GR. Only parts from the GR._

Vegeta repeated over and over in a desperate, but unsuccessful attempt to calm himself. Pictures of his childhood flashed in front of his inner eye. His father had given him to Freezer and the fucker had had nothing better to do than give the little boy to a maniacal scientist. For weeks he was tied to a cold metal table, surrounded by doctors and scientists, getting injections and cut open on his limbs and torso. The stinging smell of antiseptics and numb feeling of tugging and pulling, the sounds of the clinking metal when they dropped surgical instruments into a metal bowl will never leave his memory again.

They would run experiments on him and stick strange things into his wounds, which he could only hope would be removed while he was knocked out. He would slip into unconsciousness, wake up and slip back into unconsciousness again. He couldn’t see their faces, as surgical masks covered them. He could only see the doctor’s eyes, his white hair and his scary, lunatic snicker.  

The beeping sped up and caught the attention of a nurse, who hurried into the room. Vegeta wanted to scream at her, demanding to be untied, demanding an explanation but his voice would betray him once more and before he knew what was happening, she injected a liquid in his IV line. She leaned over to him, saying something but he couldn't hear it anymore. He already drifted back to sleep and her words became distant, became muffled sounds.  

 

**He was surrounded by darkness.** **  
**

Only the spot he stood in was illuminated, as if he was standing in the cone of a street lamp. It was quiet. No sound was made by anything. There was no bird song or wind in the leaves to be heard. Absolute silence in the deep dark.  

He looked around, tried to recognize anything in the pitch black but there was nothing. He didn’t know where he was but strangely, it didn’t matter anyway. At first, he didn’t know why he wouldn’t care but then it crept into his consciousness.           

Vegeta turned around slowly, even carefully, as if he would wake the pure evil itself if he made a wrong move. The blood in his veins froze and his eyes widen in fear as he saw the dark cloud form in the distance, edging over to him. Maliciously. Dangerously.

 _Run_.  

He didn’t see a face, he didn’t know its name, but he knew this was an enemy he would never be able to fight. Staying, _facing_ this creature would lead inevitably to  death. His only option was to flee.

As he turned around to run away, moving his legs became the most exhausting thing that he ever had to do. He used all his power to set his right foot in front of his left one, but he couldn’t move. Even with all his strength, he was unable to push himself even one-step ahead. He didn’t know what was happening and it scared him to death. It felt like he was tied to a wall behind him or as if he had to fight a strong storm just… just… nothing was touching him, nothing pulled or pressed against him, there was no wind he had to walk against.  

Eventually, already out of breath, he leaned forward enough to touch the ground. His fingers bore into the soil and now he was trying to push with his feet and pull with his hands but still… more than just a few centimeters weren’t possible.  

Long forgotten was the creature, the threat that was coming for him as with every passing second he tried more and more desperately to move. Panic clouded his mind - the fear over his inability to walk forward no matter how hard he tried.  

With a loud gasp and groan, he sat up. His heart was pounding wildly against his chest, the sheets were soaking wet from his sweat and he panted heavily as his arms tensed and shook while he clutched the blanket in his fists.  

Again.  

Again this dream. Why?  

Why now?

He had those dreams regularly, over the years while Freezer had enslaved him. But ever since Namek, his subconscious would have mercy and spare him those nightmares. Back then, he didn’t know why he had them. And he had other, bigger problems than keeping himself busy with dream interpretation. To be honest, he didn’t even consider that dreams might have a meaning at all.

It was not before he stayed on earth that he first heard of it. That dreams are the way the brain deals with problems and worries. Then he thought back on his nightly cinema showing, presented awfully by his brain. He concluded that living under Freezer caused those dreams. The feeling of being held back, the monster that was coming for him, the overwhelming feeling of not being able to move forward and never able to escape.  

But Freezer was gone, and the dreams were back.  

He held his hands up slightly, and looked down on his empty palms.  

Why? Was it because of the threat of the androids? Was it because he just couldn’t reach the Legendary? Whatever it was, he wouldn’t let those dreams consume him again.  

Grinding his teeth, he ripped all the IV tubes and electrodes from his body - barely noticing that his left hand was already freed. Vegeta pulled the wet blanket with one swift motion away from his body and slipped out of his bed. He felt much better, but still not good. How long had he been asleep? He needed to get ready for training, screw whatever time it was, screw if he was still injured and in pain.  

The man left the hospital room and found himself in a corridor, looking to both sides, down the hallway. No one was there. No light illuminated this part of the building.

He was surrounded by darkness.

 

**Silent.** **  
**

He enjoyed the silence.  

He wasn’t used to all the chatter of the humans. Sure, Raditz and Nappa talked as well but never had they tried to involve Vegeta as much as the human did. Also they were never as loud and obnoxious as the humans with their cackling laughter and their useless topics about music, the private lives of others or digestion.  

He was used to silence. He _needed_ it. To think, to concentrate, to hear any danger in the distance. In addition, he is not the socializing kind of guy, not the one you sit down with and get drunk. No. He is the one you try to kill and he is the one who will kill you without any hesitation. You had better _not_ approach him if you know what’s good for you and your well-being.  

„Ah, there you are Vegeta! I have been looking for you everywhere.“ His blue haired annoyance exclaimed loudly as she entered the kitchen.

_Sigh. So much for not approaching me. Better ignore her and maybe she will leave soon.  
_

She stopped in front of him, supporting her weight on the backrest of a chair with one hand, the other rested on her hip. Her usually dominant and demanding pose. She observed for a moment, following his moments with her eyes as he basically inhaled his food.  

„Enjoy your breakfast?“ She said oddly quiet.

 _Thanks. I_ did!

Knowing she wouldn’t get an answer, but unable to leave him the fuck alone, she obviously felt the urge to continue bugging him. „How are you doing? Are your wounds healing well?“ Bulma asked, but the expecting look she gave him didn’t fit to the concern in her voice.  

Her gaze became a piercing one as she, again, got no answer and it dawned on Vegeta that she was regarding his clothes. She told him to rest and skip training for a few more days but his spandex and bare chest made it obvious, that he was saying screw your demands.  

Either that or she was staring at his appearance, which she seems to find appealing. Then she would just drool all over him and and make some inappropriate remarks about his physique. Again.  

„You’re already back to training.“ she stated dryly.  

_Theeeeere it is._

Bulma shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She was doing what she always did.  

Instead of just saying what she wanted from him, she would ask useless questions to which she already knew the answer. How aggravating. But Vegeta refused to acknowledge her in any way. He simply wanted to eat his damn food in peace and go back to training. Because of the accident, he was way behind anyway and the time he was unconscious had to be long enough for his body to recover.  

He was a Saiyan after all, goddammit!  

And he had no time to waist. If he’s not ready when the androids arrive, then they very likely won’t pity him because he was sick, laying in bed like an old woman.  

‚Oh Mr. Vegeta, you had an awful accident and fell behind? We’re very sorry about it. Oh, no no! No problem. We’re going to book a hotel room at a beach and come back in two weeks. Have a nice day.‘  

Vegeta snorted about his own stupid thoughts. He totally forgot about Bulma, who looked at him, surprised.  

„Um...“ she started as she sat down on the chair she was leaning on the whole time, „I wanted to see you because…“

„I don’t care.“ He cut her off roughly.

„Wha…?“ It was not the first time he tried to silent her but this time is caught her off guard for some reason. She blinked at him a few times but braced herself for a second try. Odd, he expected her to scream at him instantly. This behavior was very unusual for the hot-tempered woman.  

„I thought… maybe… you would like to tell me something about you…? Your past?“

Immediately an ice-cold shiver ran down Bulma’s back as Vegeta’s eyes shot up to her, giving her a deadly glare that she rarely saw on him.  

„My past?“ He asked dangerously slow, as he carefully put his fork on his plate and started to rise out of his chair. Did she really try to open Pandora's Box? Didn’t she know he had murdered countless souls? Didn’t she know, he was one of the most ruthless warriors in Freezers army? What did she thinking she’s doing?

Bulma swallowed hard and Vegeta knew he was just as intimidating as he intended to be. Still, she wouldn’t drop it and pushed him even more.  

„Yeah, I mean… I know you served under Freezer but I thought about…” Bulma couldn’t hide her tension and nervousness. Surely she knew she was asking him something forbidden but it was too important for her to just let go of it.  

Vegeta on the other hand, was determined to carry that to the extremes. Maybe it would teach her a lesson.  

“About?” he pushed her further.  

“Your childhood?” she almost whispered, eyes wide and fearful, shoulders pulled up and hands protectively folded in front of her chest.  

“My childhood?” that caught him off guard. He expected a lot but not that so his mind started racing.  

_What the fuck does she care about my childhood? Does it have anything to do with her little secrets? Surely, she is trying to use it against me but I won’t give that wench what she wants!_

It took him only a second to regain his composure, his intimidating posture, but unfortunately it was still long enough for her to notice and take it as a hint to continue her manic intentions.  

“Your physique is outstanding…“ she stammer nervously.

„My physique, huh?“ his voice became less dangerous and more playful.  

_That’s a good possibility to punt. Or is that what all this is about? Because she’s trying to approach me, again? Does she really think questions about my past will help her build a connection? She should be smarter than this!  
_

He started to walk slowly towards her, his right hand stroked over the left side of his chest and down to his stomach.  

„I… I mean….“ Bulma’s eyes followed his hand, making it hard for her to properly form words, all of a sudden. Of course, she was ogling him all the time and the change in her vital signs didn’t go unnoticed to Vegeta. Her quickening heart was beating as loud as a jungle drum for everyone to hear. But this time not from fear or nervousness but from excitement.  

„You?“ he finally reached her and his presence forced her to step back.

„I… wonder what’s… your secret…?“ Bulma bumped against the fridge.  

„ _My_ Secret?“ He pins her against the fridge, his left arm above her, his right hand next to her hip. He was so close he could feel her body heat, her short, flat breathes against his face. The cocktail of lustful pheromones invaded his senses.  

He had her where he wanted her.  

„What’s _your_ secret, woman?“ he asked with a rough, husky voice, almost whispering in her ear.  

„M-my secret?“ Bulma replied absently, raising one hand slightly, one finger coming close to his hard abs, seeking, _longing_ to touch the hot naked flesh that’s so near. She just had to dare.  

„Yes. Your secret. That is what that whole story was about, is it not?“ he answered, voice dripping with venom. He was referring to the woman’s voice he heard arguing with a man in that medical room. He didn’t know for sure, if it really was the same woman as the one who was standing in front of him but he would push his luck on this. Maybe she would let something slip.  

„Wha… I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.“ Bulma said with big pleading eyes – a sight he had never seen on her face before. He could have mistaken it for fear if he hadn’t noticed all the other signs that screamed ‘lust’. He enjoyed it, more than he would admit to her but he was suddenly in a playful mood so he wanted to carry this to the extremes.  

Vegeta leaned forward again, his cheek brushing hers lightly, his chest pressing against her and just when his right hand found her hip, gently squeezing it, he whispered in her ear „I’m not a boy, I’m a man“.  

Bulma’s breath stuck in her throat and a small whimper let him know that she barely could keep herself together. He was sure, she made the connection to the talk with Yamcha a while ago and he was sure if he would just stay a little longer, she would not only touch him shyly with one finger but also lay her whole palm on his waist. She would run her hands up and down his stomach and his broad chest.  

He felt her move; she braced herself to claim him. And then he left her. Horny.  

Finally. She was...

silent.  

 

 **Glass cubes**.  

That’s what he called the labs, that’s what they were. Glass walls separating the single rooms on the left and right side of the hallway.

But Vegeta didn’t pay any attention to the single labs – he aimed for the room at the very end of the long corridor, the only one still occupied this late at night. It’s artificial white-blue light shone through the glass walls, illuminating softly the beginning of the hallway, where Vegeta stood. Indeed, not enough to read a book but it would have been just enough for the night-blind, weak humans to not hurt themselves in the dark. It was still beyond Vegeta how this pitiful race was able to survive. So much for Darwin. Anyway, he was looking for the doctor and Panchy had told Vegeta her husband was still working on projects in the labs.  

He hated the labs.  

He hated the windowless rooms, the stinging smell of chemicals and the unnatural white-blue light. It made him feel as if he was going to throw up, and no heavy swallowing would help to get rid of his nausea.  

He would avoid the lab like the plague whenever he could, but here he was because it was too urgent to wait. He needed to talk to the doctor and this was Vegeta’s chance to find him alone.  

But it seemed he wished for too much. From his position, even still relatively far away from the room, he could hear a woman’s voice, arguing loudly with the old man.

_Damn it._ _Why is this annoyance here_ _as well_ _? I thought_ _she was on a business meeting until tomorrow? Hopefully, she will leave_ _her father soon_ _. This is very inconvenient.  
_

Vegeta was about to leave and find a way to talk to Briefs later when his curiosity was provoked. The woman said his name. Did she notice him? No…  

She didn’t call him, she mentioned him.  

The Saiyan decided to stay, but figured it would be better to hide from sight in one of the labs and eavesdrop secretly.  

Unfortunately, even with his supernatural senses, he was only able to hear bits and pieces through the thick walls.  

“…can’t… Android!”

“… Let him know…”

“We… a way… secret…”

“Must… Destroy…”

That blasted woman. What is she up to? What is she keeping from me?  

Vegeta’s blood boiled. First. she drugged him.  Then she tried to get information out of him and now she was plotting against him? What the fuck?! It took all his strength to not burst into her father’s lab and kill her right on the spot. He wouldn’t grant her a slow death, oh no… he would make her _suffer_. But first, he needed to find out what she was up to. And her chatty father was a good start. And like on cue, Bulma left the lab. _Good_.  

Vegeta slipped behind a locker, to make sure she wouldn’t notice him. He watched her walk along the hallway. Her heels clicked loudly with every angry stomp of her feet and her eyes were fixated on the screen of her phone in her hand.  Then suddenly she stopped. Right next to the room he was hiding in. For a moment she just stood there staring at the floor.  Then she started looking around, peaking into the empty and dark glass rooms on both sides. Did she see him?  

He stayed behind the locker, not moving but focusing his senses on her quick heartbeat and her flat breathes. She was in a turmoil, maybe even scared, as she stood there and stared into the dark, searching for the unknown. With a deep breath, she braced herself. Slowly, she reached for the doorknob, slender fingers grabbed it, holding onto it tightly as she carefully, painfully slowly turned it until the lock clicked and the door cracked open a bit. She was about to push against the glass door when… her phone rang. The sudden noise in the dark and silent hallway startled her so much that she threw her phone in the air with a high pitched, short shriek.  

Cursing under her breath, she picked it up to answer the call and left without looking back, forgetting the mysterious unknown in the room.

Vegeta let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. His mind had raced as he tried desperately to figure out an excuse for why he would hide in a dark room behind a locker. He scoffed. He wondered why he felt like he needed an excuse at all. As if he had to explain himself to the woman but… if he thought about it… it would have been no help for his plan to figure out what she was up to. If she had seen him, it could have alerted her to his plan. It’s better that she didn’t know he was after her.  

Anyway, she was gone and the old man was not. It was time to have a nice little conversation with him.  

Dr. Briefs chewed on the end of a pencil as he sat over blueprints that were spread out over a big table, too deep in thought to notice who was actually entering the room.

„Do you need anything else, honey?“ he asked absently.  

„I do.“ Vegeta answered with a high-pitch voice. The scientist’s eyes shot up to Vegeta, boring into him.  As he stared dumbfounded, his pencil dropped on the table, rolled to the side and over the edge until it fell to the floor, eventually creating the only noise in the room.  

Yes, Vegeta joked. It was something the doctor never experienced in all the time he have lived with the Saiyan.  

The look on Briefs face was priceless and even lifted Vegeta’s mood. He wanted to relish in it for a moment but he had to continue.  

„The bandages need to be changed.“ Vegeta made an excuse.  

„Eh… um… I…“ Briefs tried but couldn’t form a sentence as nervousness took him over. Almost panicking, he didn’t only start looking for his pencil but obviously also for an excuse.  

„Is anything wrong?“ Vegeta asked in a low voice, staring the professor down.  

The doctor looked at him with wide-open eyes before he managed to steady himself a bit.  

„Eh… No! No no! I…” he stuttered, “I just thought Bulma always changed them?“

„I can’t find her.“ The prince lied as he stepped closer to the table, looking over the papers. He let his fingertips run over the mess on the table, if only to disturb the older man even more, when a dark blue opaque sheet caught his eye, causing his heart to skip a beat. There it was again. The same sheets that hung in his hospital room. He thought they might be for decoration but he was obviously mistaken. Otherwise, the sheets wouldn’t be among the doctors work papers. Why was this sheet here in the lab and in his hospital room? Vegeta was about to pick it up when Dr. Briefs suddenly started organizing everything on the table.  

„Oh, she just left the lab. I thought you would have bumped into her.“ The scientist tried to distract Vegeta.  

„I didn’t.“ Vegeta stated blankly before he took one step towards the professor.  

„Oh… I thought you would have. She just left a second before you got here.“ he found his pencil and fiddled around with it. The tension hung so heavy in the air, they could have grab it.  

„You just said that. Besides, I wouldn’t be here if I had seen her, would I?“  

Another step.  

„Yes! Yes… sure… um… I…“ Briefs looked around, desperately scanning the room in the hopes of finding something… anything… to hold on, to distract the dangerous, enraged man in front of him, to have something to protect himself.  

„You?“ Another step.  

„I’m afraid I have no medical knowledge at all.“ Another poor excuse.  

„Does it require several years of training to change the dressing on my back?“ The Saiyan mocked.

„Um… no… of course not… but…“ he glanced to the door, gauging his distance from it.  

„But?“ Another step.  

„But to… evaluate the condition of the wound.“ He could try to reach it. Run from Vegeta. Maybe the doc was lucky, and Vegeta was not serious in his non-verbal threats.  

Vegeta followed the scientist’s eyes to the door. He stayed silent for a moment, just staring at it, making it unmistakably clear that he was well aware of the doctor’s train of thought. And that he has no chance.  

„Where is the nurse?“ The Saiyans eyes slowly went back to the shaking mess in front of him. Piercing through him once more.  

„Home already, I’m afraid. In addition, Bulma made clear she wishes to change it herself. She made that very clear.“ He let his shoulders drop. He would never make it to the door. It’s ridiculous to even believe, for a second, that he could be faster than the alien.  

„Why?“ Vegeta already rounded the table and was now mere inches away from the shaking man in front of him.

„I… she didn’t say that. But… you know her. She is strong headed and strict about some things.“ His best chance was to convince Vegeta, with logic. He was a clever man, he could be convincing… couldn’t he?  

Vegeta raised his hand, pure energy started to form in his palm, threatening to blast the scientist’s face. So close, that its heat burned the tips of the scientist’s beard.  

„I don’t believe you.“ Vegeta said calmly, but in a voice the doctor never had heard before. Dripping with so much hate and spite that a shiver ran ice-cold down the human’s back, leaving no doubt that these were his final breathes. He squeezed his eyes shut, realizing he couldn’t say anything to change the Saiyan’s mind. If he wanted bloodshed, then that would be it. Vegeta’s presence was like a crackling in the air, heavy as an approaching storm. And suddenly it got dark. The light behind his closed lids faded and everything was calm.  

Vegeta had left.  

Leaving only silence and horror behind in those glass cubes.  

 

**Footsteps echoed through the hallway.  
**

He could feel her ki signature as he made his way to Bulma’s office. The closer he came, the clearer it was, and the anticipation of their confrontation grew.  

The closer he came to his destination, the quieter, more calculated his steps became. The predator inside him prepared him to jump onto his prey as he snuck up on her - his muscles tensed, teeth clenched and hands balled into fists.  

The office was big and modernly furnished. Besides a big glass desk on black metal legs and an ergonomic, black leather chair, there was a cozy seating area of big white leather armchairs around a small white coffee table. On top, fresh flowers.  

On the desk sat a laptop and family picture. Bulma was a small kid and smiling widely into the camera.  

The floor was decorated with probably every piece of paper she ever held in her hands. How she was able to stay on top of things was beyond him.  

Bulma stood in front of her office desk, thoroughly examining some blue prints and other papers deep in her thoughts, as she chewed on the end of pencil; just like her father had moments ago.  

It was time. Her turn to experience the same ‘joy’ as her father did. With one swift motion, he appeared behind her, like a ghost emerging out of nowhere. Silent. Predatory.  

At first, Bulma didn’t notice him. Not until he gently blew cold air on her neck, causing goosebumps, a shiver, that ran death cold down her spine, alerting her of the danger.  

She stood there.  

Not moving. Not breathing. Not daring to.  

When he leaned forward, his body heat must have burned on her ice-cold, sweaty skin. Vegeta’s hard chest almost touched her back as he placed his hands on the table on each side of her slender hips.  

Trapping his prey between hot muscles and cold glass.  

Bulma leaned forward, obviously a desperate attempt at bringing _any_ distance between them.  

Failing.  

„V-Vegeta…?! What do you need?“, she tried so hard to sound confident – how cute – but the cocktail of hormones gave her fear away. First: good, at least she knew he was not fucking around this time and second: oh, how he had missed that smell. A wicked chuckle found its way through Vegeta’s throat.  

“What I need, you ask?” he breathed in her ear; his voice husky as fuck.  

“Y-Yes” Bulma’s stutter told Vegeta that her mind was racing. Would she make it out of this situation unharmed?

“What do you _think_ I need?” his lips brushed softly against her ear lobe.

“I… I don’t know. Do you need me to fix something for you?” Just like her father she tried to distract him. Do they really think that he’s stupid and easily sidetracked?

“I had wanted your father to change my bandage.” A single, kiss was placed gently on the soft skin of her neck.  

Bulma gasped loudly and she turned her head slightly to the side to be able to look at Vegeta. It clearly unsettled her and for Vegeta, it was just a confirmation that they were plotting against him. Or was she disturbed, because he never had touched her before? At least she was not pushing him away. Probably she knew, that this would enrage him even more.

The woman took a deep but shaky breath to brace herself before she asked the question she didn’t want the answer to: “Did… did he…?”

“No. He did not. He refused to. Do you know what else he refused?” His canines scraped over her milky skin, his breath caressing her flesh.  

She only shook her head carefully; swallowing heavily.

“To tell me why…” he nibbled on her shoulder, as he hummed in content, obviously feeling comfortable in his position as Bulma was stiff like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

“Oh…um… maybe… maybe he…” her usual sharp mind betrayed her, denying her a good excuse. Light’s out, no one home.

“Maybe what?” Vegeta wanted to know, but his steady manner couldn’t calm Bulmas flat, quick breathing.

He let his right hand glide from the table over to Bulma’s hip. She shuddered and tried to wiggle herself out of his touch but was blocked by his thick arm on the other side of her body. Vegeta’s right hand wandered up her back until he reached her slender neck. His hand rested on her right shoulder, not allowing her to lean away from him, as she still tried to. The thumb that was caressing her neck with small, slow movements over the soft skin, was more unsettling than comforting.  

“Maybe he was busy?” Bulma suggested in the most innocent way she could manage.

“Maybe.” He said softly right before he grabbed her neck tightly and pushed her down on the table forcefully. It was so quick and unexpected, that Bulma didn’t know what even happened. She groaned loudly as her face hit the glass, causing it to crack. The situation didn’t get any better for her when Vegeta leaned forward as well, pinning her down in the desk with his weight. 

“Or maybe you should stop lying to me!” he spat.  

“I… I don’t know what you mean!” Bulma whimpered as she covered her bloody nose with her shaking hand.  

“I said stop lying, you bitch!” Vegeta screamed. “You know exactly what I mean. I’m so sick of all your secrets and whispers.”

“Vegeta, please” Bulma whimpered and sobbed in fear as she tried to push herself up from the table, but couldn’t free herself from his tight grip and his heavy body. She was simply too weak to fight against him. How foolish of her to even try. As if this weak human had any chance against the powerful Saiyan Prince. Honestly, she wouldn’t be able to even if Vegeta was only a human himself.

“Your manipulations and interrogations. What deeds of darkness have you planned out, what did you do to me when I was unconscious? Why was I anesthetized again after I just woke up in the hospital? What have you done with all the metal parts? Have you experimented on me? What are you plotting with your father? Answer me!” He started to lose himself in his rage, his mind was fogged by it, blinding him. He was so convinced they would try to harm him, that the prince was not able to think of anything else anymore; consider something else anymore. And why would he? 

Since his home was forcefully taken from him, there was no single person, beside his comrades, who would show any sort of kindness towards him. Why would they? He served in Freezer’s army and destroyed, tortured and killed without raising an eyebrow. And the earthlings invited him just like that.  

Without hesitation, without questioning or asking for a favor in return, the Briefs family provide him with food, clothes and equipment. Why did they do it? That sounded too good to be true, so where was the catch? Vegeta would find out what the fuck is going on!

“Vegeta…” Bulma pleaded, now covering her head protectively with her arms while she cried uncontrollably.

“Vegeta _what_?” He shook her violently with the hand on her neck continuing to scream at her “Answer me!”

In that very moment, Vegeta felt a tugging on his arm and shoulder. A pitiful attempt to pull him away from the woman beneath him, but of course, by far not strong enough to succeed. Slightly turning his head, he was able to see Bulma’s father next to him, desperately wanting to help his daughter, who was only a picture of misery now. How bothersome. With one swift and effortless motion, Vegeta sent the disturbance flying against the wall.  

Of course, the dull noise of him hitting the wall and his groaning in pain, weren’t unnoticed to his daughter, who was now screaming and frightened for her father’s life. Vegeta was totally unaffected by her display of emotions, he was used to it. Memories of his past flickered in front of his inner eye. Whenever he interacted with any species, any person, they were begging, fighting, crying, like she did right now. A wonderful feeling of dominance, superiority and power rushed over him. He hummed in contentment as a devious grin spread slowly across his lips. He allowed himself to close his eyes, and tilt his head back slightly for a moment to relish in the thoughts of the good old times.

When his lids opened again, he noticed movement in his peripheral vision. Under heavy pants the scientist slid his right hand into the pocket of his white laboratory coat. Vegeta didn’t care. The man didn’t possess any weapons and wouldn’t be any threat to him in his condition, so he turned his attention back to the woman.

Click.  

Both his legs suddenly gave out. He fell as if he was made of lead, crashing against the table before he slid heavily down to the floor. He tried to grab onto the woman, get a hold on her, help to steady himself, but his fingers wouldn’t listen to him anymore.

As he slipped down her body, she was able to free herself and run to her father. Her wobbly legs gave out the moment she reached him.  

“Daddy, are you OK?”  

He only nodded, he was dizzy from the hit against the wall and his temple bled, leaving a trail of blood down to his jaw. As Bulma helped him get up, his blood smeared against her shoulder. It took all his strength to stand up and walk, but they had no time to lose, they had to get out of there before Vegeta was able to move again.  

Vegeta laid on the ground. He tried to move his head and watch the other two people but he couldn’t. He could only stare at the blood stain Bulma left on the table, creating a bizarre picture as it filled up the cracks.

Horrified.  

He was physically and mentally paralyzed by the current events.  

What happened? One moment he was standing over the woman and the next he lay next to the glass table, unable to move. He allowed himself to become distracted with memories, to not pay enough attention to his surroundings during combat. Plus he misjudged the power of a desperate man who tried to save his daughters life.

Goddammit. Vegeta knew better than that.

This was his own fault, no doubt, but… what did the man do? Vegeta was sure it had something to do with whatever was in his pocket. Was it an injection? How did he use it on Vegeta from the other side of the room? Or did he administer it when he touched Vegeta?

What happened all of the sudden with the predator and his prey.  

His scenes became fogged. He noticed Bulma coming over to him, laying one hand on his chest, saying words of comfort or insult he couldn’t tell, couldn’t recognize them anymore.

And just before he fell unconscious he heard their footsteps echoing through the hallway.  

 

**It’s** **me**

“Me!” Vegeta screamed as he hit his fist hard against the big mirror above the bathroom sink, shattering one corner of it.

Vegeta sighed heavily. He supported his weight on the sink by placing his hands on both sides of it, his legs were still shaking from the knock out earlier.

“Me….I…” only a whisper on his lips as his head hang low.  

_It was I, who was destined to rule my people. It was I, who was destined to be the greatest of my name. It was I who was destined to become the legendary.  
_

But instead…  

_Instead_ … He sighed… He was the prince of an almost extinct race, he was the last of his name and Kakarot became the legendary, not him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach it himself. What was he doing wrong? Was he… maybe… not even able to become the legendary? Was fate betraying him?  

He dropped to his knees slowly, his forehead resting on the sink; eyes squeezed shut.  

He trained all day long, day in, day out. He was working his ass off, not allowing himself any distractions. His discipline was beyond, pushing him forward on and on. And even though he had clearly become much stronger… it still wasn’t enough. It was not enough to reach the legendary and obviously…  

He hit his head against the sink three times and screamed quietly in desperation. …obviously not enough to even withstand an old man and a weak human woman. He didn’t know how Briefs did it. One moment Vegeta was standing over the woman, about to finally kill her. He was even excited to relish in the cracking sound that her slender neck would make when he snapped it. But then his legs suddenly gave out beneath him. And there he was. Laying on the floor, about to lose his consciousness once more underneath this cursed roof, only to wake up in his bed. Strange. This place was no good for him, he was sure of it. Only food, supplies and the chaotic situation in space to fight for the new leadership after Freezer’s death, was what held him here. But he figured it still would be better to leave this place in an instant and come back later to fight Kakarot.  

Vegeta got up, left his bathroom and started packing, rushing.

He didn’t know what the woman and her father were up to but he was sure it was no good and if he was honest… he guessed it wouldn’t end well for him if he stayed any longer. All those “innocent” questions about his past, the way she stopped talking all of a sudden when he was around and the arguments she had with her father about him and the androids. Those strange dark blue, opaque sheets. He didn’t know what they were but he recognized bones and screws on them. Were they building an android themselves or were they just trying to figure out how they worked? Why were there metal parts next to his hospital bed? Have they used some sort of device on him? Put something into him? Was that the reason why Briefs was able to knock him out?  

Vegeta stopped in his tracks, his armor in his hands. He was torn. Should he stay and find out or should he leave before they use it once more against him?  

Vegeta was sure he was not willing to find out the hard way. This time it might cost him his life.  

Vegeta placed his armor on the bed and hurried to the bathroom. He didn’t lie when he had said his bandages needed to be changed. Unfortunately, it seems like he has to replace the big one on his back all by himself. That won’t be an easy task. Not only because of the location of the wound, but also because he is able to feel that it is deep and still open. The explosion must have burned him awfully, if not even ripping a piece of flesh out of his body.  

Back in the bathroom, he collected all the supplies needed before he took off his shirt and turned his back to the big mirror. 

Vegeta expected a bad wound when he starting peeling off the big dressing but what he discovered was beyond anything he could have expected…  

A sight more disturbing than the darkness, than _anything_ in his most vivid, terrifying nightmares.

Even covered with dried blood and ointment, it still is clearly recognizable. But…  

It couldn’t be…

With shaking hands, he managed to hastily wet a cloth while knocking over some toiletries that were placed around the sink. Harshly, almost panicking, he rubbed over the wound, not minding the painful sting, until he freed what he had feared to see.

Metal.  

Vegeta’s jaw dropped and his heart skipped a beat…That… that can’t be. With shaking hands and a racing heart, he rubbed over the metal obsessively, trying desperately to wipe away this vicious, shiny thing.  

But it won’t disappear.  

He stopped in his movements, dropping the cloth carelessly to the ground. He started trying to pull the metal part out only with his fingers. He shoved his pointer finger roughly under his skin, searching desperately for the edge of the metal. He couldn’t find it, and he hurried to the kitchen, ripped a drawer out, not caring for the contents that clattered to ground. The man squatted down, rummaging around the mess of forks, spoons and knives until he found a fillet knife of black damask steel and beautiful wooden handle.  

Back in the bathroom, Vegeta turned his back to the mirror through which he watched as he placed the sharp tool over his wound. He set his eyes on his goal with ferocious, single-minded intensity, blind for the world around him.  

And cut.  

The knife bore deep into his flesh…

Vegeta cut into his own skin and muscles, neither caring for the painful sting nor for the specific scratching sound the knife made. After a few long cuts, he threw the knife into the sink with a loud clatter and dug his finger back under his skin.  

This time, even rougher, more brutal. His groan was loud but still couldn’t cover the wet, smacking sound his skin made as he peeled it from metal. The pain was terrible. Still, he wouldn’t stop. He needed to see how big this part was, how far it went.  

After he removed a huge area from his back that climbed over his left side and up to the front, as well as from under his chest down to his hip, he wiped his hands roughly over his ribs in an attempt to remove the blood. At first, he didn’t even notice that his blood soaked hands won’t help to clean himself. But he picked up the cloth again, from under all the shreds of discarded skin, and was eventually able to clean some areas.  

What he revealed was horrendous.  

Metal.  

Everywhere.  

With shaking hands he touched the shiny, even material. Softly, carefully, as if a touch would hurt him. Was it real? Was he dreaming? Could it be? No matter how much skin he removed, all he could find was silver, cold steel instead of red, hot flesh. It was no use to continue.  

He was shocked, desperate, hopeless.

He looked through the mirror at himself. Searching for the answer in his own eyes but what he found was only empty, black orbs of a stranger.  

_That blasted woman. What had she done to me?  
_

His mind was racing, going through every event he could think of that could have something to do with it.  

_No, it can’t be… if she would have done it, then I would have needed weeks or even months to recover and I wasn’t unconscious for that long. The time span doesn’t fit._

He looked down at his bloody palms intensely as if they could tell him what his eyes couldn’t, as if they would tell him the secret he tried to uncover. And as his gaze wondered over his left wrist, crossing one particular deep scar, it hit him all of a sudden.

His gaze shot up to the mirror again _.  
_

“The maniac!” he exclaimed loudly.  

That’s the only explanation. Freezer’s crazy scientist who had locked Vegeta up when he was 7 years old, to preform innumerable experiments on him. Back then he didn’t know what had happened to him, he probably wasn’t even sure now, but he could never get rid of the panic in his chest when remembered how the cold operating table felt underneath his skin. The shiver still ran cold down his back because of the sounds of the clinking metal as they dropped surgical instruments into a metal bowl. He also could never forget the stinging smell of antiseptics. Which is why he would tell Bulma he didn’t want any. He was a real warrior and a strong Saiyan but the truth was… it caused him to be nauseous the moment the smell invaded his nostrils. And there was another thing he would never forget to his last breath.

Those piercing gray eyes of the doctor.  

Did he do this to him?  

Fragments of buried memories raced to the fore of Vegeta’s mind, countless repressed horrors fighting to be remembered. A flash of remembrance brought to his mind the dark blue, opaque sheets with the gray and white imprints. He saw them in his hospital room as well as in Briefs lab. He tried hard to think about it, remember them in detail. Were they showing him? Did the woman discover it by accident after the explosion? Maybe that was the reason why she tried to talk to him about his past and he, in his endless paranoia had assumed the worst, believed her to be malevolent? Is that the secret she tried to hide?

Was… was she… actually helping him?  

Vegeta’s legs began to shake and he tried to support himself by holding tightly to the edges of the sink.  

Is that why he couldn’t reach the Legendary, no matter how hard he tried? Because he wasn’t pure anymore? Because his body was tainted? Damaged?  

His legs gave out as an agonizing rush of realization washed over him and the proud Saiyan prince dropped, broken and hopeless, to his knees. Tears started to appear in his wide-open eyes.  

All the time he spent training, all the time he spent preparing for the big fight, for the enemy was useless.  

_The enemy I’m preparing to fight against...  
_

“It’s me”

**Author's Note:**

> art by ScarletRaven1001 :)  
> https://scarletraven1001.tumblr.com/  
> 
> 
>  
> 
> art by rucifie :)  
> https://rucifiesart.tumblr.com/  
> 


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